Strangers before Christmas
by Aky-san
Summary: Two strangers go out shopping for presents, unaware that their lives are about to merge. Follow along a story about two different people trying to find their own gifts, but finding something else instead. Two people, two lives, two stories, and one look in the eyes that forever changes strangers to lovers. A story about a very special Christmas - NaLu Christmas Story Oneshot


**notes: So, this is me, posting a Christmas Special NaLu oneshot. Imagine that...**

 **Well anyways, I hope you guys like it as much as I do, since it was a real hassle to write all these 6000+ words :3**

* * *

She was always in a rush.

No matter the time or place, or the kind of work she was supposed to do, Lucy Heartfilia was always rushing.

So now that she had finally managed to leave the library she was working in, after dealing with a really energetic client, who just couldn't stop explaining how her daughter couldn't find some book she needed to study from, and how she should've just 'listened to her mother, and checked the library in the first place'.

Now, not to be misunderstood, Lucy loved her workplace, and loved the interaction she had with people. However, having to do all that Christmas shopping for her mother and father, not to mention her friends and coworkers made her feel stressed and doubting of her present-picking capabilities.

She blew some hot air on her hands, relaxing once she entered the warm mall. Her head turned from side to side, wondering where to begin this painfully long journey of finding the perfect gift for everyone. She was a bit glad that she didn't have a boyfriend at the moment, seeing that she'd have to get something for him too, and just the thought of it was making her nervous.

She remembered the list of names she had prepared earlier, during her coffee break at the library, and thanked the heavens she made that thing. Digging in her purse, her lips formed into a tight line when her eyes scanned the long list of people. She had a lot of work to do, and she was just hoping that her wallet would be able to handle it.

Her eyes shifted from one store to another, and she just decided that it would be best if she starts with her mother and father. Layla, her loving mother, was a lady to say the least. She fancied classical music, and always acted like a countess. She was always dressed perfectly, and Lucy didn't even remember the last time she saw her wearing pants, or shorts.

She forced herself to look away from the bookstore that was tempting her to walk in and purchase half of the books they had, since she probably read the other ones.

A shop from across the bookstore caught her eye. It seemed to sell some sort of expensive perfumes, which Lucy found quite attractive, since her mother always had a nice scent from one of the many bottles of perfume on her bedside table in the bedroom.

Lucy was happy to have found a perfect gift so quickly, ignoring the nagging in her head about the price being too high. Now, she wasn't rich or anything, but she always managed to save up money for the holidays, so she can buy gifts for anyone, and everyone. Her colleagues thought she was insane, since they never bought gifts for one another, except her. Speaking of going insane, they seemed a bit off today, limiting their conversation with her, almost looking like they avoided her. The owner didn't even say hello this morning, but she just let it slide, since he probably didn't see her standing a few feet away from him.

"They were acting a little weird though," she mumbled to herself, picking up the cheapest perfume she could find in the store, even though it was still very expensive. She would never buy something like that for her, but Christmas was once a year, and she was going to make it count.

Next on the list is her father, a strict, correct man who likes discipline. Lucy had learned years ago, that if she wanted something from him, she couldn't use crying as a method to get to it, like most kids her age did. But he was not a bad man, to be fair. He wasn't perfect, but who is? He was just a normal father who maybe cared too much for her own good, that he sometimes forbade her to do anything he thought was not safe. So, what to get for that sort of man?

Just as she was headed for the escalator that took shoppers up to the second floor, she noticed a little kid wandering around, crying his eyes out. It was a boy, probably four or five years old, who held a giraffe stuffed animal, choking the toy's neck in his shaky grip, as it walked around here and there, probably looking for his parents, or whoever brought him here. She looked at her phone, and noticed that she didn't have time to check every single store, and she would just lose more time if she started a search for the people she didn't even know. Sighing, she concluded that it was still the right thing to do, even though it would've been nice if someone else found it.

And as if a genie granted her wish, a young man popped out of nowhere, with weird pink hair, and a balloon in his hand. He walked past her, crouching down so his eyes met the teary eyes of the child, before handing him the balloon, and declaring that he was going to help him find his parents. Then, he marched off somewhere, leaving her happy that the kid was in good hands.

"Thanks," she said, more to herself than the boy, who didn't even hear her, before turning around to enter a store that sold jewelry.

* * *

After a whole two hours of looking around various shops, Lucy was finally out of it. She had spent all of her money, and was left cent-less on the escalator, just waiting for the damn thing to reach the ground so she could get off.

And at that moment, she heard her phone ring. Curious, she picked up the contraption, and scrunched up her eyebrows in worry when she realized her boss was calling her.

The owner of the library she works at. Now, this lady was a bit sassy and rude at times, but Lucy never really had that many problems with her, most of all since she just started working there a year ago. Well, almost a year. Her anniversary of working there for a year would be in just a couple of days. Other than that, Lucy learned the rules of this peculiar woman a long time ago, and stayed out of her way. So what made this all weird, is the sole fact that Mrs. Roberts never called her employees. She had their numbers, but mostly out of formal politeness, and the secured fact that she has control over them. So, if anyone ever got a call from her, they all knew it was serious.

Clearing her throat, as if it would help her hide the nervousness in her voice, Lucy finally answered, "Hello?"

"Heartfilia?" She heard the professional tone of voice from the other line, which cleared away all her doubts. This was indeed Mrs. Roberts.

"Yes? Is something wrong?" Lucy asked, swallowing down the questions that pooled in her throat, like 'Why are you calling me?', 'There are just a few days left until Christmas. You don't plan on making me work on that day, do you?'

"Listen darling," The lady started, using her annoying 'darling' word that she uses for literally everyone. "Well, this couldn't wait so, I called."

Lucy felt her stomach curl up.

"I'm terribly sorry for telling you this on the phone and all, but it just had to be done."

Her heart started pounding louder.

"You've probably heard about the library being in a tough position with their finances."

She felt a lump in her throat.

"So, we're going to have to let you go darling."

Lucy tried gathering air in her dried up lungs.

"We've been discussing this for a while now."

A while? Is that why everyone looked weird this morning? Did they all know?

"And we had to make some cuts to spare the budget. You were the newest employee so…"

Lucy finally felt her voice return from wherever it went a while ago, "Are you saying that—"

"You're fired, darling."

And the line went dead.

It took Lucy a couple of seconds to realize that she was off the escalator, and was blocking the way for the rest of the happy-go-lucky people, earnestly waiting to go up to the next floor, and buy presents for their loved ones. It then took her a couple more seconds to try and calm down the noise in her head, and step away from the crowd. She calmed her heartbeat, and toned down on the hyperventilating, trying to ignore the fact that this was one of the worst telephone calls she'd ever had.

Taking out her wallet, she felt tears in her eyes, because she knew very well that she spent everything she had with her. Everything, down to the last cent. This was not the Christmas spirit she came here with. Reminding herself that she still had a life, even though she just lost her job, Lucy tried to find some other source of happiness. She decided that she needs to figure something out.

Quickly, she took out the presents, and even though she wasn't sure if she could return them, she started running to the shops from where they were bought. The silver watch she bought for her father was the most expensive thing of them all, so maybe if she could return it, she'd be able to find something cheaper for him, and still have money for herself.

It was a bad idea to use up all her savings like this, and she regretted ever stepping into the mall.

Just as she felt her legs give up on her, she finally walked into the jewelry store, and noticed the same guy from before, with his pink hair and deep eyes. This time, he was without the child, which meant that he probably found his guardian. She was relieved. But what was he doing in the jewelry store? He was at the cashier, but he didn't even know her since he didn't see her hesitantly standing a few feet away from the child.

The boy was buying a heart pendant. It was a golden one, and it probably costed ten times more than the watch she bought. He paid with a gold credit card, and walked away without a trace of sadness for giving away so much money, for a thing he's not even going to use, since he asked the shop assistant to decorate the case, and put a ribbon on.

And as he was walking away, she slowly looked at him underneath her hair, but he didn't look back. Of course he wouldn't, he didn't even see her standing beside him. And as the cashier told her it was her turn, she got ready for a huge begging farce, but not before whispering "You're lucky you have so much money, and I have too many people to give presents to." The cashier looked at her weirdly, since he didn't hear her muttering, but she smiled, and engaged into a super 'please return this' spree.

* * *

Seven stores. Seven presents. And she couldn't return even one of them. The staff always showed her the receipt, where there was a clear 'no returns' part, which she clearly hadn't noticed before. And no matter how much she begged and explained her situation, nobody was able to help her. She decided to give up about an hour after she got the phone call. It was useless, and she was just wasting time she could easily have used to look for a job.

Feeling her feet ache from the stilettoes she was wearing made her wish she'd gone home instead. But this was one of those times where she was supposed to be a 'responsible adult' and come to the conclusion herself. Now, being 23 and still not married, or dating anyone was making her parents go nuts, so telling them that she lost her job wouldn't be the best idea. She thought that maybe if she found a new one right away, it would be less of a burden to tell them.

And hearing her phone ring for the second time that day was making her nervous again. It was her mother. Why was that woman calling now? Isn't she supposed to be on a plane? Her parents were on a holiday, which they liked to call, their 'alone time'. They made a deal to come back for Christmas, so their plane was supposed to be on his way here. Lucy answered, hearing the pleasant voice of her mom, which always made her calmer.

"Lucy honey, I'm so sorry about this!"

Alright, scratch that.

"What's wrong?" She asked, getting a bad feeling about this.

"There is a storm somewhere I don't know the details, but the thing is; your father and I won't be able to make it home. I know Christmas is the day after tomorrow and all, but we will try to get back as soon as possible!"

"The plane won't take off?" Lucy asked, a bit troubled.

"Something like that sweetie." Her mom's voice was a bit… well… puzzling?

"What do you mean something like that? Why can't you come back? What storm?" She asked, this time a bit more demanding than before.

"We will explain when we get back!" Was the last thing she heard before the line went dead.

Great.

What a perfect way to start the holidays. So what was she supposed to do tomorrow? Stay home alone on Christmas Eve? And what about Christmas? Suddenly, working during the holidays didn't sound so bad.

She checked the flight schedule on her phone, using the free wi-fi from the coffee shop nearby. And her eyes widened with the realization that her mother didn't tell her the truth. There were no signs of storms or any danger, and it said that the planes would take off as planned. Well, maybe they couldn't get any tickets! …No… there are still some 'last minute ticket' sales. So what happened? Maybe her parents just wanted to enjoy two more days in Paris? Who wouldn't, right?

The text message her father just sent her confirmed her suspicions.

[Your mother and I will stay five more days, because of our anniversary.]

Oh yeah, that's right. Her parents' wedding was two days after Christmas, so they probably wanted to merge their vacation. Well, at least one of them was being honest.

And now, Lucy was penniless, parentless, and filled with useless gifts for this upcoming Christmas. She was going to spend the holidays alone. If this had happened at any other time, she would've asked her colleagues if she could come, since she overheard them talk about some sort of lunch. But now that that was out of the question, and her friends had boyfriends, she was left to the mercy of the television, and she really hoped to find a good movie or something.

She knew that her parents left her some money at home, but it wasn't nearly as much as all the cash she just spent on the presents she'll never use. Come to think of it, she even bought things for her colleagues. She bought a book for every one of them, and they were all books that she's read before, so she really had no use for them. She bought a few pairs of earrings for her friends, which seemed like the only thing she was able to use in the end. Now, a lot of people would've told her that she should keep the watch and the perfume for her mother, but Lucy was mad at them. And she had every right to be, so she didn't even expect a present form them either.

Not to mention she didn't even tell them she got fired. But she still hoped that it was possible for her to find a job before they got back, and didn't want to burden them with the news of being fired.

But one thing was certain: This was the worst Christmas ever.

Lucy was mad, and the fact that that pink-haired idiot walked past her again was not helping. She was down in the dumps, and he just walked by, talking on the phone like it was the only thing that matters. He walked past quickly, and didn't even see her. Of course he didn't. He didn't even notice her and yet here she was, running into him for the third time, like it was some sort of destiny. Just as he passed her by, grazing his shoulder off of hers, and not even turning around to see if he hurt her and apologize, she heard him talk to someone on the phone. The only thing she was able to catch was, "Tell her I love her the most." Great, even this rich idiot with the weirdest hair color had a girlfriend. Well, at least that explains who he bought that pendant for.

She decided to ignore the awful sting of jealousy she suddenly felt, and just filled her head with the amazing scent of all the ice-cream flavors in front of her. She didn't even know why she took a turn behind the toy store and walked all the way to the ice-cream stand, but now she was starting to regret it. She hadn't eaten since the moment she stepped here, and that was hours ago. Reminding herself that she was broke, she forced her eyes to look away from the many delicious-looking ice-cream flavors dyed in exploding colors.

"Which one do you want?"

She looked towards the person who worked here, ready to decline, or say something like, "I was just looking", or "I'm not hungry", or maybe even "These look a bit old", but stopped the voice from escaping her throat. Then, after realizing that the person behind the counter was too busy dealing with a little girl who was having a hard time trying to decide if she wanted vanilla or strawberry, Lucy turned around to see who was the person that _really_ spoke to her.

And her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed the person she was least expecting to talk to today.

The pink-haired alien.

* * *

xxx

* * *

Natsu Dragneel hated shopping.

He was never the kind of person to think about what sort of present he would get someone, so instead he always bought them the most expensive thing, and they were always happy. He learned that money made the world go round, so he took over one of his father's companies when he was very young, just so he could always have what he needed. It seemed to make people happy too, and each time he had a girlfriend, he felt that she was there just so he could buy her gifts. That's why he stopped trusting most of them.

So now, a bit unhappy that he didn't even know what he wanted to buy for his mother made him feel a bit stupid. He was supposed to know what she likes, but since they didn't spend much time together, especially now, he was utterly clueless.

He racked his brain for any signs of his mother ever mentioning she liked something, but he couldn't remember anything like it. The minute he passed that jewelry store for the third time that day, he realized he was going in circles. He was inside one of his city's largest shopping malls, but the many choices weren't helping. Just as he was about to call his mother or something, he noticed a blonde girl, wearing a cute pink puffy wool sweater, and white jeans, stand frozen on the ground, as she watched a kid cry(?).

Natsu's eyes landed on the small chubby boy, who probably lost his parents while they were shopping. The girl looked like she wanted to help the poor child, but she probably had a lot of work to do, even though she wanted to assist the crying kid. So, since he didn't even know what he came here to buy, and he had a lot of free time, he decided that he should at least help this girl finish whatever she came here to do, so he took the child, and declared loud and clear that he was going to help him, so that the girl didn't need to worry.

She looked like a nice person, even though she would probably say she liked him if she knew how rich he was. But still, he was happy he was able to put a smile on her face as she turned to walk away when she thought he wasn't looking. For a moment, he thought he heard a vague 'thanks', but it was probably just his weird imagination.

* * *

After he finally found the kid's mother, Natsu was determined to resume with the shopping, and see what he could buy. He was happy he took the red balloon from the lady that gave them off for free to share the Christmas spirit, since it really helped with calming the kid down.

Now that he was free from a little child begging him to buy lollipops, Natsu was looking around the stores, wondering what his mother would like. And then it downed on him, even if he did buy something really nice for her, chances were it wouldn't get there by Christmas. His parents were divorced, and Natsu was supposed to be the one living with his mother, while his little sister left with his father in Europe. That always seemed odd, since he was a lot closer to his father than Wendy. But they probably wanted their kids to get closer to their other parent, so it seemed fair.

The only problem was that his mother was ill. The poor woman's lungs weren't in the best condition, and the only way she could be safe was if she went to a special hospital in Germany. But Natsu's business was here and it couldn't run without him, since it was also the only way he and his mother had money, so if he wasn't here, it meant no more money, and no more paying hospital bills for her to get better. So, having no other choice, Natsu was now thousands of miles away from any participants of his family. And the more time passed, the more it looked like he was going to be alone during the holidays too.

"Think of the stupid present", he muttered to himself, chasing away those thoughts of loneliness. He walked by that same jewelry store again, wondering how on Earth he managed to just walk around in circles like that. Shrugging his shoulders as it was destined to happen, Natsu walked into the shop, looking around for something that might've caught his mother's eye.

Thinking about it, he didn't even know what she liked. He didn't even know if she liked wearing jewelry. Weird, they lived in the same house, and yet he knew almost nothing about her. It was probably because she and his father were constantly arguing about something, and he was always on his dad's side, which made it a bit harder for him to communicate with her, or talk with her.

He didn't even know his sister that much, since she was a lot younger than him, and some neighbors even said she wasn't his father's child. But in the end, she still ended up being the one his father picked instead of him, probably because the night before the damned divorce, Natsu had a fight with his father. He was a teenager at the time, and like any other person in this world, he didn't want his parents to separate, and thought that his arguing and yelling might've changed that.

But it didn't, and alas, Natsu was left with the business he inherited from his father when he was barely 14, and that was it. No goodbye hugs, or smiles, or 'I'll come visit you'. And he never did. To be honest, even if he did want to visit them, Natsu would probably get lost on the way, since the only thing he knew about their location, was that it was somewhere on a totally different continent. Well, if we were entirely honest, there were many ways he could find out where they lived, if he wanted to. For example, he could ask his mother, or look it up on the internet, or ask someone in the company who knows his father. But no, Natsu was still mad at what happened, even though it had been 10 years.

He could still remember the day though, when he was fifteen years old. Just a year after he became the youngest businessman in his city. His mother had declared she wanted divorce at the dinner table, in front of both of the children. Wendy was 5 years old at the time, so she didn't understand anything, but Natsu was old enough to feel the blood freeze in his veins. He knew his parents were having problems, but what kind of problems were that tough to make his mother interrupt the only quite time they ever had, while they were all eating dinner, looking like a real family.

Natsu will always be angry at his parents' inability to function as a proper couple. But he understood all of that now that he was 25 years old, and still not married, without even a girlfriend by his side. His life was okay to be honest, but because of his job, he didn't have any friends, or time to meet people. He was always working, or when he had days off, like today, he was using it to tend to his mother.

So, wandering around the many shelves of jewelry, Natsu felt the need to just stuff a random thing in the bag and pay for it. He saw cute pearl earrings, and decided that it would be the perfect thing to get. His eyes landed on a heart-shaped golden pendant too, but he thought that it looked more like a present he would give to his girlfriend. So, leaving that behind, he took the earrings and paid for them instead.

But, as he was walking away from the shop, mildly happy for finally choosing something for his mom, the pendant was still lurking in his mind, making him think that he was insane for wanting that thing so bad. But since he didn't have anyone to give it to, it would be a waste to buy it. Well, it's not like he didn't have the money for it… he had five times the price of the pendant on just one of his many credit cards, so thinking that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to keep it at home for when he found someone special, Natsu walked right back into the shop, and chose the pendant.

He heard the door open, but he was too busy paying for the thing to notice it was that cute blond girl from before, but this time her hair was messy from all the running, her eyes were wide with concern, and her hands that firmly held the store's special bag were trembling with worry. He walked away, but the minute he passed her to get to the door, he noticed all the bags she was holding. There must've been like, at least six of them, and they all looked heavy. If she wasn't in such a rush, and her expression wasn't that troublesome, he would've probably offered to help her carry them to her car or something. But all he got was the 'walk away' vibe, and did just that, but not before mumbling "At least you have people to give presents to, and the only thing I have is just a bunch of money."

* * *

Although this was to be expected, Natsu still didn't want to hear it.

He thought that closing his eyes for a while, and opening them again while taking a deep breath would silence the voice from the other side of the line, but it didn't. He ran a hand through his hair, stopping at the middle of the shopping mall to just stabilize his anger, and bottle up his frustration.

"So you're telling me," he started, the nurse on the other side falling silent, "My mother will be in the hospital on Christmas?"

"I'm afraid so."

Natsu bit his tongue to keep himself from cursing at the nurse who had nothing to do with this. "Alright", he said, noticing that his shoulder accidently bumped someone as he spoke, "Tell her I love her the most." Before hanging up.

His head slowly turned to the side to apologize to the person he hit, as he noticed it was that same blonde he kept running into. It was too late to say something now, since she was already walking away to the ice-cream shop.

Natsu was about to leave, pack the present and send it to the hospital his mother was in, but something stopped him from moving towards the exit, and instead, his feet started walking towards the direction from where that delicious scent of ice-cream was coming. Yeah, it was the middle of December, it was cold, and the last thing people wanted to do was to shove ice down their throat, but the shopping mall was really warm, and everyone had long since taken off their jackets.

He inched closer to the girl's back, watching as she stared at the many choices, probably puzzled on which one she should take.

"Which one do you want?"

He stood surprised for a moment, looking around, before he noticed that he was the one who actually said it. Voicing his thoughts was never his good point, but the minute she turned around he stopped regretting it.

* * *

xxx

* * *

This was the first time she actually looked at him properly. She knew his hair was pink, but seeing it up close made her realize it wasn't as spiky as she thought, but probably soft and warm, and she suddenly got the itching feeling to run her fingers through it. His eyes were mesmerizing, and the more she stared at them, the more she felt pulled in by some antigravity. His previously parted lips now curved into a smile, and she noticed that her own were doing the same. He was handsome, she'll give him that, and it looked like he had a good choice of clothes, since he was wearing a white shirt, black jeans, and a messy black tie. He looked like the sort of person you'd meet at the park, who's quietly walking his golden retriever while he's waiting for his work hours to start.

* * *

xxx

* * *

It was the first time he ever really stopped to look at her. Her hair wasn't really blonde, it was golden. It freely fell down her cheeks, hiding that pink tint of blush, and making her amazing brown eyes pop. Natsu had always been the type to go for the blue-eyed ones, but this time he just couldn't stop staring at hers. A second after he smiled, she did the same, and it felt like they were communicating without words. Her lips were full and cute, and it looked like they were so pink and deep without even using any lipstick. He couldn't help but stare at her amazing figure, which showed even though it was covered with a sweater. She looked like the sort of girl you'd see at a park, reading a book on one of the benches, holding a sandwich in one hand, which your dog would bite, and then you'd have to apologize, and you'd end up at a café together, talking about how your colleagues can't do their job, or how tasty the coffee was.

* * *

xxx

* * *

"Chocolate and strawberry". She suddenly mumbled, watching him snap out of his trance.

"I'm paying. You go sit somewhere." She nodded, even though she wasn't ever planning on sitting for some ice-cream with an unknown guy. She knew that she didn't have any money with her, but he said he was paying, so it was probably okay.

He returned with two cups, filled with ice-cream of the same kind. He had the same order. Cute.

And just like that, the barrier of awkwardness was gone, and she finally exploded, filled with relief and the amazing feeling of having known this person for ages, even though they met just mere seconds ago. Heck, she didn't even know his name, and he didn't know hers, but that wouldn't keep them from having the best time of their lives.

"So listen to this," She started, talking as if he was her long lost friend, "My parents decided that it was great to just—"

And after he listened to her mini rant, Natsu also started to shout, and talk about this many other people have failed at making him mention. He talked about the divorce, the way he hadn't seen his sister in over a decade, and how it all affected him.

"So my mother's in the hospital, and …"

And she was silent throughout the whole thing, and gave him advice later. They acted as if they'd known each other their whole lives, as if this was their normal way to spend the day.

Lucy talked about her presents, about how she didn't know what to do with them, and decided to just give the books and the watch to Natsu, even though they just met, just because their personalities sort of 'clicked'. And Natsu gave her that pendant he bought, happy to finally have someone that he could give it to. They exchanged gifts, and phone numbers as well, which for Natsu was the greatest present he could ever receive. Lucy gave him the perfume too, dubbing it as a 'get well' gift for her mother, and he promised her a new job as his secretary.

They decided to organize a trip to Europe after the holidays, to visit Paris – where her parents were, Germany – where his mother was staying, and even ask about where his father and sister live. They were both ready to cope with their families, and had the other to support them.

As they got up and got ready to leave, Natsu ran over to the girl still giving out balloons, and took one to give it to Lucy. She found that cute and funny at the same time, and it was really nice to see him offer to take her home, only so she can put on some dress, before they both leave on a fancy dinner. She trusted him, and he trusted her, even though they just met, since it was one of those things where you don't think—you just _feel._

And they wouldn't spend this Christmas Eve alone, or this Christmas… or any other Christmas ever.

...

 _Two lives, two stories, two perspectives, two smiles, two strangers, and one big Christmas miracle._

* * *

~With keys, through flames! Aye!~


End file.
